I've read the correspondence about the supposed editorial realities of The Star ('Ling lies about 'non-interference''; 'The MCA does interfere'; 'All the news that MCA deems fit to print') with great interest.

However, I have problem with the conduct of this correspondence.

Primarily it is the anonymity of the supposed letter writer(s). I'd like to know what the official policy of malaysiakini is in this regard. Are writers expected to supply their actual names but allowed a pseudonym of their choice? Does malaysiakini identify pseudonyms as such? Are anonymous or pseudonymous letters reproduced without independent means of verifying the identities of the authors?

Surely there is a moral hazard in a letters section that allows individuals or groups to assume different identities. One could have a man writing in as a woman denouncing the work of feminists; if he wrote as a man his arguments would be judged in part by his 'vested interests' in patriarchy.

As I see it false identities and pseudonyms attempt to hide or distort the material and ideological interestsof its authors. Far from democratising the space of public debate, it creates a minefield of false representations.

I think a policy of unregulated pseudonyms will have a negative net effect on the quality of our public life.

So I ask that you, your readers and all of us in the fraternity of journalists to consider the ethics governing such forums.

As for the writers of these letter - if they are who they claim to be whether journalists or executives - I understand that under certain circumstances discretion is the better part of valour. However, I feel in this instance the cause of press freedom is not advanced by conducting the debate in such a way since the real impact of these letters is not in the information it has exposed (a valuable document, if it were true) but in the expression of dissent.

And when it comes to dissent, I think journalists have to speak openly and collectively to advance their cause.

Editor's note

: As it stands now, letter writers do not need to provide their real names. However, priority is given to those who do. We are painfully aware that such a policy could lead to abuse by the unscrupulous few, and we do try to weed out such letters. Nevertheless, we strongly believe that writers should be able to write without fear of reprisal.